In what could be seen as a big plus to all Xbox 360 users
out there (save for those that have units that are more than a year old),
Microsoft has extended the warranty of all Xbox 360 consoles from 90 days to a full
year in the United States and Canada. This latest move comes exactly three
months after Microsoft decided to offer free repairs to Xbox
360 manufactured before 01/01/2006.

As if the case with most all electronic purchases, the
one-year warranty period starts from the original date of purchase. Customers
that have already paid out-of-pocket for Xbox 360 repairs after the original
90-day warranty period, but before the new one-year warranty period will
receive automatic credits for repair costs. Customers will not need to contact
Microsoft at all for the reimbursement checks which will be mailed out within
10 weeks.

"Customer satisfaction is a central focus and priority
for the Xbox 360 system," said Jeff Bell, corporate VP of Global Marketing
for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. “The Xbox 360 system now
offers this extended warranty upgrade. It is truly the industry's most
compelling home entertainment offering."

The free warranty upgrade should also be welcome news to
Xbox 360 owners who've had their consoles bricked by the Fall Dashboard Update.
There were numerous reports of Xbox 360's being "taken out" by the
update. One California man, Kevin Ray, was asked to fork over $140 to repair
his Xbox 360 after the Fall Dashboard Update failed. Ray responded by starting
a class action
lawsuit over the matter.

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This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

On the other hand, at least in the UK, we pay over the top for most electronics. A quick look on Amazon UK and Amazon US shows that for the same package (or at least nearest match) of the Xbox360, it costs £270 vs $400. That's £70 more expensive (over 35%). You can see similar trends on most computer components too. What's the typical warranty for those items in the US?

Never forget the different taxation environment in the States and the EU. We have Value added tax of up to 20% in the EU, different customs, etc...that is what makes the differences and not the longer warranty. Once they get their products working there won't be any extra costs deriving from a longer warranty

You're joking right? Every second they add to a warranty on an electronic device with millions in circulation cuts into their bottom line. It may not be that big of a deal, but it definitely effects the price of goods.

Personally I'm in favor of 1 year minimums on non-consumables, but I don't think it will come from magic warranty fairies, it will come from consumers pockets. Still, I'd rather that then play the extended warranty roulette game.